4 former Yankees that could return to New York this winter
The New York Yankees still have a number of roster holes entering the 2023 Winter Meetings, many of them of their own making! The more free agency and trade deadline cycles you sit out without acquiring a left fielder of any kind, the more it comes back to bite you. The more Josh Donaldsons you add, while chasing a fan favorite away from third base, the more you yearn for stability two years later. Such is life.
This year's Yankees are stuck between a rock (Brian Cashman's head) and a hard place. Cashman lost his marbles at the GM Meetings, which everyone assumed indicated a rift between he and Hal Steinbrenner ... until Steinbrenner claimed he liked the fire. It was oddly reminiscent of the Seinfeld scene where George Costanza berated the elder Steinbrenner in the hallway ("In the past 20 years, you have caused myself and the city of New York a good deal of distress"), only to be greeted by, "...Hire this man!"
It almost felt like we were set for a Levine/Steinbrenner "Stars! Now!" vs. Cashman "Shrewd moves! Tomorrow!" debate, but both camps might just be aligned instead heading into another prime year for Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole. Needing to win back a distressed fan base, they could do worse than running it back with a few role players (and one more prominent star) along the way in an effort to build up depth. Rome wasn't built in a day, but the Yankees are officially no longer allowed to rely on the Willie Calhouns of the world. It might work once, but it won't work the other six games that week.
Right now, the odds-on favorite to sign David Robertson in free agency is "Some Team That Plans to Trade Him a Few Months Later." Robertson is fresh off the Tour de NL East these past few years, roaming from the Phillies to the Mets (where he was beloved) to the Marlins, a final trade that was viewed as the first sign of Steve Cohen's surrender this past summer. Mets management lost their club, while Robertson lost his fastball; he posted a 5.06 ERA in 22 games in Miami after being good for a 2.05 mark in Flushing.
Someday, the nearly-39-year-old Robertson actually will reach the end of the line, but he had plenty of gas left in the tank during the first half of the 2023 season. One year and $8 million can likely get a deal done, coming off a $10 million contract for the '23 season. No fan would object to the Yankees sniffing around that market, depending on how the rest of the offseason plays out.
Robertson is no longer untouchable, but more often than not, he remains magic.
